CC Letter (long)
The
Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, MET-2
800 Madison
Oakland, CA 94607
800 Madison
Oakland, CA 94607
Dear Executive Director:
Solano County has one stop along the Capitol Corridor route and plans to add three more. While Solano County does have the longest stretch without service on the Capitol Corridor route, and does need additional stations, present plans have serious flaws and should be denied by the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority.
The present plans were roughed out about a decade ago. At that time, the cities of Solano along the Capitol Corridor rail line agreed to divide up the pie and decided which cities would receive a new rail station. There has never been complete agreement and Vacaville has never been happy with the plan. Additionally, it appears that Travis Air Force Base had no representation in this process.
The
study to choose “the best sites” for the rail stations was constrained to
looking at sites per this prior agreement to give certain cities a commuter
rail station and, therefore, failed to adequately consider what was best for
ridership numbers. Since high ridership
means success for the rail line and success in terms of meeting the needs of
local citizens interested in alternate transit, it would be in the best
interest of both The Capitol Corridor Line and the citizens of Solano County
to reconsider the current rail plan.
The enclosed report provides detailed information regarding this situation. Additionally, please consider visiting www.solanorail.blogspot.com.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely
SOLANO COUNTY’S RAIL PLAN
The Situation
Solano County has only one commuter rail station, 27 miles
from the Davis and 17 miles from Martinez. It is the most isolated station on the
Capitol Corridor. Solano County
plans to add three more commuter rail stations to fill in those gaps.
Currently the plan is to build three stations, one that is intended to be shared by Fairfield, Vacaville and Travis AFB (Air Force Base) , one near Benicia, and one in Dixon. Analysis of each site is as follows:
- Dixon
At ~ $1.5M, it is the cheapest
site to build and is on an existing local bus route. Dixon grew 54% in the 1990’s and has a
population profile (33% Hispanic) known to increase ridership. It also promotes
development in the rural north part of the county, helping to balance the
jobs/housing mix and reduce commutes.
· Fairfield-Vacaville
While intended to serve Vacaville, Fairfield,
and Travis AFB, it is not convenient to any of them. On 9/11, Peabody Rd and Air Base Pkwy were backed up 1/2 mile due
to increased security on Travis AFB.
Thus, it would make traffic problems in Solano worse, not better. It
also promotes “encroachment” on Travis AFB, which is a security risk and
obstacle to the military mission.
Therefore, it heightens risk of closure for this base.
- Benicia
It is located in a protected wetland, therefore no
development can occur near this site, thus limiting ridership growth. The
expected ecological damage can be monetized at a high value due to loss of
commercial, recreational, and other benefits and the fact that it is critical
habitat. At an estimated cost of$5M, it
will cost more to build than the other two proposed sites combined. A spur line may add commuter service through Napa and into Vallejo,
our largest city and a passenger source for this proposed site. Such service would be cheaper and more
environmentally sound than this site.
A Viable Alternative
Independent research exists which was based upon the
criteria required by the CCJPA and additional criteria imposed by the Solano Transportation
Authority (STA).
The
Alternate Plan selects sites based on factors likely to improve ridership --
factors such as nearness to population concentrations, access to major
employers, access to other regional resources within the county (facilities such as a David Grant Medical
Center, a regional medical facility serving 8 states and cause of regional
traffic, therefore providing a potential market of riders for this regional
rail service) and access to local bus transit.
It is also based on cost-benefit analysis and risk-analysis, including
environmental costs. It retains the
Proposed Plan’s site in Dixon, but moves the Proposed site for Benicia to an
Alternate site on the outskirts of Vacaville (in the unincorporated community
of Elmira), and moves the Proposed site for Vacaville-Fairfield to an Alternate
site within Fairfield, a site which also serves the needs of Travis Air Force
Base.
·
Dixon
At approximately $1.5 million, this is the cheapest station
to build and it is located on an existing local bus route. Additionally, the
combination of local demographics (33% Hispanic) and high population growth
(Dixon grew 54% in the 1990’s) fit the findings of a meta-study, which
determined that public transit hubs located in rapidly growing areas, as well
as areas with a large and growing Latino population, have a proven track record
of success, with high ridership numbers. In the
existing plan, this site is built last. The Alternate Plan makes it top
priority because it is the
only sound site in the Existing Plan, requires the least up-front expenditures
and fosters growth in an underdeveloped area, thereby promising bonuses in easing county traffic by
geographically balancing jobs with housing.
·
Fairfield-Travis AFB
This station would be located on the only bus route that serves Travis. There are two options: The rail crossing on East Tabor near Clay Bank Road. Or the industrial park near where the railroad
passes under Airbase Parkway. Either site can serve both Fairfield and Travis AFB equally well. Military retirees outside of the county who
utilize David Grant Medical
Center will boost
ridership for this site. Senior
citizens, particularly if they have health problems, often can no longer drive
a car and use public transit instead.
The opportunity
cost for this site, due to its nearness to the existing station, is the
creation of one ‘skip stop’ with reduced (50%) service. However, Solano County’s
own ridership study showed that the proposed Fairfield-Vacaville site (4.9
miles from existing station) would ‘steal’ existing ridership, thus reducing
need for service. Overall, creation of a
skip stop seems to be a negligible cost compared to the risk of losing Travis
Air Force Base -- the
county’s single largest employer (with more than 7000 jobs), worth more than
$1billion per year -- due to encroachment. According to an article in Air Force
Magazine: 'Encroachment has become a part of the base closure debate,' and
'The best way to help military bases [remain open] is for communities to help
them solve their problems‘.
Vacaville
In place of the existing plan’s Benicia Site, the
Alternate Plan recommends selecting a site which serves Vacaville.
Vacaville has 88,000 residents versus Benicia’s 26,000.
Additionally, Vacaville lacks the growth
constraints that box-in Benicia. Since rail stations are very expensive and
geographically fixed capital expenditures, they must be planned with a strong
future orientation. The potential for
growth in and around Vacaville clearly exceeds
the potential for growth in and around Benicia. Although the old rail station in Elmira is geographically
and excellent site, it may be politically dead.
Vacaville should get the last rail
station, allowing time to either overcome present objections to the Elmira site or select a
new site.
The existing plan prioritizes site spacing, thus appearing well placed, but it provides poor service with high financial, environmental and other costs. In contrast, the Alternate Plan prioritizes factors that promote ridership, thereby providing both good service and economic efficiencies. One of the most important factors that will promote ridership is that this alternate plan places 2 stations in the Fairfield-Vacaville-Travis AFB region. This area contains roughly half of the total population of the entire county. When you remove Vallejo and Rio Visto from the equation (because they are not directly on the rail line), this area contains more than 2/3 of population that the Capitol Corridor can reach in Solano County. Additionally, it connects to local transit and existing walkable neighborhoods, thus promoting social equity, and it safeguards both Travis AFB and a protected wetland.
For rail plans generally, the following policies should be
applied, thus maximizing efficiency and cost effectiveness:
Because rail sites are an expensive,
long-term investment, emphasis should be on a strong future-oriented
analysis. Full potential costs of sites should be considered, including
environmental and other damages. Finally, and most importantly criteria must be
prioritized to promote ridership:
"Ridership is perhaps the most important single criterion in
evaluating the feasibility of commuter rail service. Commuter rail service may
have several purposes such as mobility enhancement, highway congestion
reduction and air quality improvement. None of these may be attained unless the
service attracts sufficient passengers to make an impact. Ridership is also
critical to the cost-effectiveness of a new service.“*
Specific
recommendations for Solano
County Rail Plan include:
Halt work on sites for Benicia
and Vacaville-Fairfield; Develop plans
for Alternate Sites in Vacaville and
Fairfield-Travis AFB; and Make the order of priority: Dixon,
Fairfield-Travis AFB, then Vacaville. Building stations in this sequence delays
creation of a skip stop, fills service gaps in order from largest to smallest,
and minimizes impact on the existing Suisun
City station and the
Capitol Corridor route.